The first USB4 2.0 cable has officially been certified — insane data speeds | Tom's Guide

Double the transfer data and huge charging power

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The USB4 2.0 standard has existed for nearly two years, and we are just now starting to see compatible products make their way into the world.

The updated standard is kicking off with new cables from Elecom, which announced that they have the world's first USB4 2.0 officially certified cables, as reported by the Japanese site PC Watch (and spotted by Techspot).

Starting in December, the Japanese company will launch two versions of their USB4 2.0 cables: one with a claimed transfer rate of 80Gbps and 60W power delivery and another that bumps up power delivery to a massive 240W at 48V/5A.

Reportedly, these new cables will only be available in Japan at the start, but it's unclear if there are plans to expand to other markets. Additionally, the cables will support DisplayPort passthrough up to 8K at 60Hz video output.

The first-generation USB4 is available on some of the best motherboards and devices and caps out at a 40GBps transfer rate. Elecom's cables would reportedly double that rate with the impressive power delivery. Currently, no motherboards or other devices have native support for the updated standard.

Microsoft has begun prepping Windows 11 for USB4 2.0 in some preview builds, but PCs will need to gain support for PCI-Express 5.0 x4 bus connections to enable the higher throughputs of the new generation of USB.

The new standard is supposed to deliver up to 120Gbps, but it might be some time before we get that level as we're still working to get more tech with the 80Gbps level.

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It is rated backward and compatible with older USB standards, including USB 4 1.0, USB 3.2, USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt 3.

Scott Younker is the West Coast Reporter at Tom’s Guide. He covers all the lastest tech news. He’s been involved in tech since 2011 at various outlets and is on an ongoing hunt to build the easiest to use home media system. When not writing about the latest devices, you are more than welcome to discuss board games or disc golf with him.

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